Chapter 3

"Ms. Taylor Hagan I have a big surprise for you."

"Well, what is it, Nathan?" she said with a smile as she put down the magazine she was reading.

"As an agent, I've done pretty awesome things for you but this one tops all of them."

"Come on. The suspense is getting to me. I'm so excited now!"

"Well, I talked to another agent and I was able to set up you up on a date with Cody Jackson."

At his surprise, Taylor immediately screamed and gave Nathan a hug.

"OH MY GOD, NATHAN! YOU'RE SO AWESOME!"

"I know, I know," he said as he tried to calm her down.

She finally let go and said, "You don't know how long I have been crushing on him. I know we started our careers at the same time, but I still admired him. Isn't it weird? A celebrity admiring another celebrity who's, like, the same age. We are going to make such a cute couple. Supermodel and singer. It has a nice ring to it..."

By now, Taylor was silent and daydreaming. She was thinking about what he was going to be like and how the chemistry was and...

"What am I going to wear tomorrow?" she exclaimed as she ran into her walk-in closet.

"Taylor, I'm sure he will still think you're beautiful in whatever you wear."

"You don't understand, Nathan," she said as she started to toss different items of clothing out of the closet. "I want to dress to impress, but I don't want to over-dress or under-dress. This is so complicated!"

"Not really. Just put on some clothes. That's all you need."

"Please, Nathan. Don't give advice about fashion if you don't know anything about it."

At that comment, Nathan started to laugh.

"How can you laugh at a crisis like this?" she said as she walked around the pile of clothes on the floor. "I know. I need a shopping spree."

Nathan rolled his eyes and said, "I'll get the car ready."

000

"So, what do you do for a living?" Melissa asked as she sipped her third cup of coffee.

Jackson and Melissa talked for at least three hours in the same coffee shop. They didn't notice the time passing by since they enjoyed each other's company. They covered every topic from food to L.A. and everything in between. Jackson had been trying to avoid answering questions about himself, but he knew that it was inevitable. He dreaded lying to her, but her questions meant that she was interested in him.

"Uh... I work at a car repair shop. It's pretty small and near the border of the city."

"Really? That's kinda far. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's cool. Messy work, but I enjoy it," he said with a sincere smile.

"It's good that you like it," she said as she returned the same warm smile. "Can I see your eyes?"

"What?" he asked a bit confused.

"Well, you've been wearing those sunglasses for the whole time despite the fact that we're indoors and it's nighttime now."

"Oh, right," he said. He looked around and saw that there were only three people left in the shop so he concluded that his identity was safe. He took off his sunglasses cautiously. Melissa's brown eyes looked into his grey eyes and saw a something very soulful.

"It's nice looking at you eye-to-eye," she said in a joking tone.

"Same here. Hey, I think it's closing time," he said as he hinted her to look to her left.

Melissa saw that the employee behind the counter was glaring at them. The employee didn't seem to like the fact that she was working late because of some customers who refused to leave.

"Yeah, let's go," she said, almost laughing.

"Can I have the honor of walking you home?" Jackson asked, as they were once again outside.

"Why, of course," she said as she held his hand. Jackson didn't expect her to do it, but he liked it. "You're such a gentleman."

"Don't flatter me too much," he said with a smile. "It's only because I like you."

000

They were now standing outside of Melissa's apartment door. She was surprised that she actually closed it before she ran out this morning. She let go of Jackson's hand and opened the door. She was now standing in her apartment facing him and the door frame separated them.

They stood there in silence until Melissa said, "Thanks for a great time."

"Oh, yeah. It was no problem."

"Listen, I don't really give a kiss on a first date. Actually, this was an unexpected date," she said laughing a little to herself. "Goodnight, Jackson."

"Night. Have a good one," he said.

She closed the door and he walked away until he heard her door open again and turned around.

"I might not give a kiss on a first date, but I do on a second date."

Jackson smiled and said, "Does seven tomorrow night sound good to you?"

"Perfect," she said as she flashed a smile and closed the door again.

After Melissa closed the door, she leaned against it and let out a sigh of happiness. She really liked this guy.